To send my 7 year old to school in unironed uniform?

[Floosey]

I really struggle with laundry. I struggle so, so much and I don't know why. I end up just not having the time or being organised enough to put away or iron so my son often goes to primary school in a creased t-shirt. We're not talking slept in creases, just dried crinkled and needs a quick going over creases.

Apart from the creases, my son always goes to school in the correct and washed uniform (I once got up at 5 to hair drier his trousers because I'd forgotton to put a wash on until the night before and that was the only way they'd be dry in time) but ironing always gets the better of me.

We have very few things that need ironing but his school t-shirts do. I bought more expensive iron-free ones but they had the school logo on and got nicked. Strangely his supermarket own brand stuff always finds it's way home.

He's clean, looked after and engaged. We always go to parents evening etc.

Do you look down on parents like me?

I never iron uniform - only shirts of dh’s and he or dd does the ironing (I pay dd).

We have an iron. Somewhere. I think DH uses it for DIY type things occasionally.
I have never ironed my DC's clothes and I don't intend to start.

In fact I seriously don't think I've touched an iron for about 10 years.

Oh I lied! I have ironed some Hama bead creations!

How can people not have used an iron for years. I literally don't understand. I iron everyday! It takes seconds and our clothes would look horrific otherwise.

Fuck the ironing, OP, you have correctly identified the problem: your dh. (And by the way, as a primary teacher I can assure that everyone wears too-short trousers in summer term. The kids have grown and no one wants to spend money on new stuff for the last few weeks. Precisely no one cares or thinks you unfit!)

As you already know, you live with a lazy man-child who believes it is your job to do the washing, hanging out and tidying away. This cannot continue.

You have tried not doing his laundry, which is a good first step, but he is also obstructing your washing routine and getting arsey. What else is he doing to make your life harder?

I'd be more likely to 'look down on' the parent who sent their child to school in a pristine ironed uniform every day. Ain't nobody got time for that, or they shouldn't have!

How can people not have used an iron for years. I literally don't understand. I iron everyday! It takes seconds and our clothes would look horrific otherwise.

It's not that difficult to understand, surely?!

I'm 30 years old and have never used an iron in my life. I hang or fold my clothes straight out of the dryer or off the line. If they're slightly creased, they mostly drop out by the time I get to work an hour later. If they don't drop out, well, I still have better things to do with my time than stand and iron! I'd rather stay in bed!

I dont iron clothes. I dry them on hangers though. Even when on the outside airer. Surprisingly few creases and a lot less hassle. In fact my iron hasnt had a plug on it for over 5 years. Indoors I hang the hangers on an instahanger over a heater. Hangers go straight in DDs wardrobe when dry.

Please try it.

I don't enjoy ironing so never iron mine lol

Also, your tears are a normal reaction to a job getting on top of you. Don't worry - you can find practical solutions.

First, drying. Assuming a dryer is out of the question, a dehumidifier in the space that you use to dry clothes on the airer would help. Also, often sheets and towels are the worst in terms of drying time. Can you service wash these? Drop off in the morning, pick up after work? Or send useless dh to the laundromat with them once a week to wash AND tumble dry.

The only school uniform we’ve had that required ironing were polo shirts from Next. I get everything from the supermarkets now and none of it ever needs ironing and that’s line dried or tumble dried. My washing machine is a 1600 spin and I rarely use this as it does crease things a lot more. I lower it to 1200 or 1000 if I’m hanging outside and that keeps everything uncreased.

Iron the shirt, get him to put it on, then put his jumper over top.
Then sit, slough around on the sofa for half an hour.
Then take the jumper off and see how creased the shirt is.

It really wont have been worth ironing it!

My children have never been to school in ironed uniform.
My children have never worn ironed clothes full stop!

Can't believe this is still going.
Some people iron stuff, some people don't. It really is not a big deal either way. My DCs uniform is the non-iron stuff. I wash & dry it, it is up to DC to hang it away in the wardrobe.

I don't even ask my housekeeper to iron and the poor woman had to clean my hair off the toilet floor this morning.

@Langrish & @BarbaraofSevillle no they weren't billed as non-iron but posters on here claim that they don't iron anything at all & I'm not believing for a second that every item of clothing they own is non-iron!

To be fair it's probably the last thing I consider when buying clothes & other than school clothes I don't see anything marketed as non-iron - & that's what it is... a marketing ploy because I've never had an item of school uniform in 15 years that could be worn & look smart & tidy without running an iron over it... thankfully after today my days of school uniform are over

I do a quick iron

Yanbu. My dcs clothes are lucky if they get a cursory shake before wearing. Life's too short to waste on ironing.

Clean, well-fed and well-rested is all kids need to be to learn.

^Completely pointless to you but I work in a job that involves lots of meetings with my peers & interaction with clients and rumpled & disheveled is not the impression that I want to give.

It's why I blow dry & straighten my hair in the mornings (or put it in an updo), why I put make up on, why I choose my outfit carefully etc for me not ironing said outfit would be akin to tipping up to work in my pjs with hair like the wild woman of Borneo.^

I'm not bothered that other people iron. Up to them.

I can't look smart. I can't wear make-up, my skin won't tolerate it and if it can I have little skill in applying it, I can't style my hair, if I do it ends up looking messy within an hour. Having creases in my clothes is the least of my worries if I'm trying to look smart, my natural state is disheveled, and whatever I do, no matter how much effort I put in I just seem to slide back into it.

I'll never be in a job where looking polished is important because I'd never be able to maintain long enough to even get into the office.

I ironed in reception & 1/2 of Y1, now Y2 & really cba & child really really doesn’t care! Do not look down on you & wouldn’t even if I did iron.

My children have reached secondary school and I've still never any school uniform! Life is just too short for ironing. I am a bit of a stickler for getting it on a hanger to dry as soon as it's finished washing - to minimise the creasing.

I love doing laundry. But I know not everyone does. It’s two minutes to iron a t shirt I’d find time to do it.

I've got a gentle spin setting on my washing machine that leaves it damp but pretty crease free. I then hang it on hangers and it doesn't need ironing

I only iron what I think needs ironing, my mum & sister stand for hours ironing things I just can’t be arsed, I’m terrible at putting washing away & currently in my kitchen I have a pile of clean un-ironed washing about 3ft tall I call it the ‘jumble sale’

I don't own an iron.